Shining Stars
by lilliewildelangtry
Summary: My submission for the 2013 Niles/CC Advent Calendar. Postseries plot. When Niles and his 9 year old daughter devise a plan to get C.C's Christmas presents, Niles finds out something about Sara that both relieves and breaks him. Please R&R!


_**Hello, Hello everyone! I know its been forever and day since I have written anything, so please mind the slight rustiness of this fic :/ This is also my submission to EspoirDio's Advent Calendar so you can check it out there as well (Dec. 20th). As always I appreciate you to R&R, either here or on the Advent Calendar site, and Enjoy! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :)**_

* * *

It was days before Christmas, and CC was yet again stuck in her office, rummaging through papers, reading scripts, and making various phone calls, all while her desk practically looked like a paper distributing plant. She was now looking over a contract with the budget stapled to its backside, flipping back and forth to make sure it was correct. It wasn't. She took up the red pen she had been tapping on her even redder lips and made the correction.

As she did so, she heard some coughing out in the hallway. The coughing of a small child.

"Sara?" she called as she put down the paper and stood up from her seat. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she went to the doorway, just as the little girl reached the threshold. 9 year old Sara had her hand up to her mouth in a coughing fit, her blonde bobbed hair in a tangled mess and her cheeks reddened from possible cold symptoms.

"Mummy..." she spoke rasping voice, "I don't... feel so good..."

CC went down to her level, keeping a small distance from her daughter, "Well... what's wrong?"

Sara rubbed her throat.

"Oooh, no." C.C. stood up to her full posture, "No, no, no... " She shook her head and walked back to her desk, Sara following her, "I'm not falling for _that _again!"

"B-but'-"

"No, Sara. You pulled that on me last week. You got your day off from school, and I told you it's not happening again."

Sara approached her mother's desk, to which she was only tall enough to lean over it. "Mummy..."

CC scooted back some of her papers from Sara, "No!... and please, the papers..."

Sara stepped back and touched her throat again, rounding around the mahogany desk to CC's side. "Mummy... I am...ahem... I am sick..." She said with her raspy voice. "And I feel warm..."

With a sigh CC placed her hand on Sara's forehead just as Niles entered the room with a thermometer.

"Where did you - there you are." He stood in the doorway before advancing towards the little girl, "I thought I told you to stay in bed while I got the thermometer?"

"You said go to Mummy's office."

"Did I?" He gave the thermometer to Sara to pop in her mouth, keeping a sly smile to himself.

CC stood up out of her chair, crossed her arms, with her tongue touching her upper teeth in slight annoyance. Even after all these years, he was able to slip in a jab or two without her noticing. She would probably have to start stepping up her game.

"Niles... what is this?"

Niles stood behind his daughter, his hands on her shoulders, "This, my reptilian wife, is a sick child. She could barely come down the stairs to breakfast this morning. I had to carry her back to her room because she could barely eat her Belgian waffles."

CC shook her head with disbelief, "You have really lost your touch over the years. You don't think that I don't remember you doing this last week."

"I will let you know, that Sara was quite sick that day to which I had to take her to the doctor."

"Oh don't give me that!" She scoffed, "I saw your movie ticket stub for the Princess and the Frog."

"It was Sherlock Holmes!" Sara called in her raspy voice as she removed the thermometer from her mouth, noticing both Niles and CC looking down at her.

"Oops." She muttered before placing the thermometer back in her mouth and crossing her arms over her chest.

CC shook her head, "You're caught Niles, I'm not believing any of this. Now, would you _please _get out of my office. These contracts need to be reviewed and signed by these afternoon."

"My God, a Babcock that says please?" Niles said placing his hand over his heart, "There really _are_ Christmas miracles!"

CC gave him a stern look as he took the thermometer out of his daughter's mouth to show to his wife.

"And If she is not sick, explain this." He plopped it atop the papers in front of her and watched as CC picked it up to examine it. It read exactly 101 degrees.

She took in the facts with a sigh, placing her hair behind her ears as she turned to look at the pajama clad daughter at her side, still reddened with what she knew now as cold stricken fever.

"How bad does it feel?" She questioned the little girl.

"Its... ahem... a little scratchy..." Sara told her.

And with that CC gave exasperated sigh. "Alright! Go back to bed, while Daddy goes out to get some medicine."

Niles intercepted, "Well, if you want to be alone, I could just take Sara with me."

"Niles, the girl has a fever. You take her outside, and she'll get worse. Even I know that!"

Niles gave off a chuckle, "Two miracles in one day. Better go write it on the calendar."

"You having an early Christmas present is another." She said pursing her lips, and relishing in his stern look. "Alright, alright." She relented, "Just make sure she bundles up. But I find one movie stub, one receipt, or one out of place charge on the credit card..."

"Oh, will mother hen be more sympathetic to her baby chick?"

"Only when Queen Yenta stops teaching her tricks!"

"I am not the only Yenta in this household!"

"Yes, well who learned from whom?"

Sara looked up at them, touching her throat, "Daddy..."

Niles nodded, "Now if the Grand High Witch doesn't mind, I have a sick child to attend to."

"Just don't tire yourself too much, Nurse Ratched. You still have to make dinner. And you." She pointed to Sara, "Bundle up. I don't need you sicker than you already are." The little girl nodded and left the room right behind her father, leaving C.C. to her contracts.

They made their way through the living room and headed for the front door. As promised, Niles bundled Sara up to the nines: hat, gloves, coat, boots and scarf while Niles provided himself with the same treatment. He took up the car keys, went out the door with Sara at his heels, and stood outside as he closed and locked the house up behind him.

As he turned around , he noticed little Sara standing there with her hands on her hips, speaking in her natural voice. "I told you she would be suspicious."

"Yes, well having to take care of you has sort of kept me from coming up with new material."

"I'm not all that complicated."

"Every Babcock has some form of complication." He chuckled as he ushered her away from the front door and over to the curb where the Mercedes was parked.

"Do you have the extra set of clothes I laid out this morning?" She questioned as he opened the back door.

"All of them are laid out in your suitcase. The blue one."

Sara mouthed an "oh good" as she climbed into the car and snatched it from underneath the seat. He closed the car door and went around to the driver seat.

* * *

They managed to make it to Macy's in less than 10 minutes, thanks to Niles' knowledge about the side streets. As he got out of the car, little Sara was getting out of the curb side door, having changed into a red collared shirt, dark jeans, and her red and black coat. They walked into the lobby side by side.

"Which store are we going to first?"

"We will get your present first, and then onto mine."

"Do you have the - "

Niles pulled out a small stack of money from his pocket, handing it to the girl.

"Just lead the way."

"Uh uh."

Niles gave her a puzzled look. "I have to double check."

"But I - " He sighed and followed her over to a nearby bench, where he watched her count out the money on her lap.

Satisfied with herself, she stood up and put the money in her pocket,"Alright. Now we can go." She took her father's hand and lead him down numerous aisles of boutiques stores and shops the mall provided. What struck Niles as odd was not the way she was leading him, for she did that all the time, but the stores that she picked out to look for her mother's present. All of the shops she lead him to had the most expensive clothes money could buy.. Cashmere sweaters and silken scarves seemed to be her article of choice. The trouble was, Sara couldn't seem to find the one she was looking for.

After being at Macy's for over an hour, and searching almost 6 different shops, Niles was beginning to lose his patience.

"What do you think of this one?" Sara held up a cream colored cashmere sweater in front of him. "Its the right size, and it should be soft enough... Or even this!" She went over to the back wall shelf to retrieve yet another silken scarf, this one a royal blue with gold and white accents. "This will do wonderfully with her coloring!"

"Both of these are beautiful, dar - "

"What about this one?"

"Sara they are all wonderful..."

"Or this?" Sara looked at it, "Mummy would look wonderful with his one."

"Sara, Sara, darling! Hold on!" Niles lowered her hands and placed the clothes in his hands on anearby display table.

"_All_ of these choices are wonderful. And I'm sure Mummy will love any of these you give her."

"Well I don't want to get her just any gift."

"$250 for a cashmere sweater and $150 for a scarf is not just any gift."

Sara looked down at her chosen items. She knew could only pick one, but none of them seemed right.

"Let me look a little more, I know I'll find something here..."

Niles gave an exasperated sigh and a shake of his head. "Sara, we've been here over an hour. Mummy will start getting suspicious..."

Sara sat on the floor, looking through various scarves at the back wall shelves. "Like I said Sara, Mummy will love any of these you decide to get for her."

Sara looked down at another scarf, this one red with blue and gold accents.

Niles gave a sigh and knelt beside her, using a nearby folded up black shirt, his knees be damned. "Besides, I have never known you to be one that is so concerned for fashion, or coloring." He looked down at her, "I am talking to my little once-only-overly-overalled witch, aren't I?" He asked with a smile.

Sara slowed her pace, fiddling with the scarf in her hands. "Yes."

He got silent for a moment, "I'm not losing my side kick, am I?"

Sara shook her head as she fingered the scarf in her hand.

"Do you wish to tell me about what is going on?"

There was silence between them, as Sara attempted to figure out what to say. "If I get mummy something ugly," She started, "I could make mummy look ugly. And I don't want to make her ugly because -"

"Because you don't want to experience it again?" Niles chuckled. But Sara was not playing, shaking her head ferociously.

"No. I don't want to make her ugly because she is pretty. Mummy has always looked pretty, and I can't ruin that. I can't just get her any ol' crummy gift. She always talks about style being an art of sophistication. So sophisticated I can't even understand it, even though sometimes I wish I did. I wish I could wear these scarves and sweaters like mummy does. She has that... what does she call it... chay nay see quay?"

"Je ne sais quoi." Niles answered with a smile, "Its French for "I don't know what". And yes, I know what you mean."

"I wish I had that... I wish I was as pretty as mummy is... Then I probably could."

Niles' continued to listen to her. If only the old ball and chain was here to hear this. To think just before Sara was born, C.C was frightened about the child hating her guts, like every other child in Manhattan did ("and still does" he added not too long ago, he cringed). But come to find out, she adores her, even idolized her to the point of wanting to be her. It both relieved and broke him.

"Sara," Niles sat down on the floor beside her, his legs Indian style. "Sara, my dear, you are beautiful. The most beautiful, wonderful girl I know. You're practically your mother's copy, ex nay her side relationship with Jack Daniels."

Sara gave a small smile, "What about the Sheffields? The big one and little one?"

He gave a small chuckle to himself,"You are much more like your mother than you credit yourself for." Sara looked puzzled, but Niles waved it off, "Believe me when I tell you that you are even more beautiful than any of Mr. Sheffield's relatives. Margaret and Miss Grace included. And I am sure by the time you go to junior high, into high school, and finally into college, you and mummy will be so much like you'll both be incomparable. And you acquire that "je ne sais quoi" I know you have, since I have been saying that word ever since you have born."

Sara gave a smile, "I'll take your word for it. This time." With that, they stood up from the floor dusting themselves off. Sara went over to the display table where all of her chosen items still sat.

"Now, what will it be? The sweater or the scarf?"

Sara placed her finger to her chin, "The scarf can be used for all seasons. But the sweater is only used for colder weather." She pointed to the scarf, "The scarf it is."

"Excellent choice!" Niles answered with glee before bending down to his daughter's ear, "Though if you don''t mind me suggesting: get the royal blue with gold and white accents. It goes good with her coloring, just like you said. And blue just so happens to be her favorite color."

Sara turned to face him with curiously, "Blue?"

"A little birdy told me once. But you didn't hear it from me."

* * *

It was Christmas morning, and by everyone had finished unwrapping most of their presents while sitting around the tree in the living room. Chester got his big Christmas bone, Niles got a pair of gold cuff links from Sara, and was promised a late Christmas present from C.C provided he didn't push her buttons too much. He thought against that, and Sara got several toys and a diary from both of her parents.

Now it was time for the bigger Christmas presents, which were always left to be opened last. Sara bashfully gave her present to C.C. "This is for you, mummy."

C.C took the carefully wrapped box, twirling it in her hands before untying the bow. "Don't tell me its another tie." She looked over at Niles, who attempted to contain a smile.

"Oh, Sara..." She pulled the royal blue scarf out of its box, touching the silk with her manicured fingertips. "This is one of the most beautiful scarves I have ever seen!"

Sara's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Oh, you have no idea how much I have needed more scarves in my wardrobe!"

Niles leaned into Sara's ear, "They have been used too much."

C.C kicked Niles' foot beside her, giving a broad grin in Sara's direction. "You did wonderful, darling." She gave Sara a kiss on the cheek, leaving a bit of her ruby lipstick on her cheek. She leaned back into the sofa and looked at Niles "Alright, Butler Boy. The time has come. Since the presents seem to be focused on me at the moment, you might as well me give what poisonous vial you made me, before I have to search you for it."

Niles chuckled, "Is that a promise?"

CC swatted his shoulder as he pointed, "Its in the tree."

She reluctantly got up from the sofa, "Bossy." She plucked it out of the tree and gave the box a small shake. "How much did you manage to stuff in here, Benson? Enough for an untraceable murder?"

"With witnesses around? Never!" Niles asked, looking deeply offended. With that, C.C unwrapped the box.

Inside was a white gold necklace with a pear shaped diamond pendant from Cartier. Simply, but elegant, just what she liked in her jewelry.

"Oh, Niles..." Both he and Sara grinned with they saw her reaction, taking the box from his wife's hands, took the necklace out and placed it around her neck. Its sparkling white pendant contrasted against her black nightgown while blending nicely with her milky white complexion.

After admiring the diamond in a mirror from afar, she noticed Sara smiling too, raising some suspicion within her, "You helped your father pick this out, didn't you?"

Sara nodded.

"Well now I'm really impressed." C.C said as she took out her compact mirror her purse, "I thought I would never see the day my little witch would behave in Cartier. Not that I didn't believe in you, dear." She gave a smile before admiring her necklace. "This is _exquisite_!"

Sara gave a small smile, "It looks very pretty on you, mummy."

"Thank you, darling. I'm actually thankful you went with him. Knowing him, he would have picked out the wrong size."

"I bought the biggest chain they had." Niles pressed kiss into her cheek before looking down at Sara. "And you, young lady. I have something special for you."

Sara went over to the tree, "And don't look in the tree. It's not there." Sara stopped in her tracks.

"This isn't another treasure hunt, is it?" Sara asked.

"No." He plucked a box out of his robe pocket, "I hid it where your scrummy little hands couldn't get to it." He handed her the box, "Merry Christmas, little witch."

He watched her as she unwrapped box down to the tissue paper. Inside was a white gold necklace with a small orchid pendant completely made of diamonds, also from Cartier.

Sara looked down at it, unable to say any words as her little fingers touched the pendant. Most of the gifts, up until now, were stuffed toys or things she used to call "darn, old dresses" or something to make her look like one of those prissy girls at school. This was different.

Niles ushered her over to the large mirror on the wall, took the necklace out of its box, and put the necklace around her neck. "You said you wanted to look as pretty as mummy," He latched the clasp at the base of her neck. "Now you do."

Sara simply stared at herself with its diamond orchid sparkling on her neck. It was the first time she actually felt... pretty, without having to completely change herself. "Its very pretty daddy."

C.C looked up at Niles in confusion. Looking... as pretty as her? Sara thought she was... beautiful? It was an unexpected blow of the sweetest kind, expecting the girl to scorn her the moment she realized what kind of a mother she really was. But she didn't see that. She saw her as the most beautiful woman in existance.

"Sara, dear." C.C's soothingly low voice beckoned her, breaking Sara from her bewildered spell at the mirror. C.C took her daughter's little hands in hers, "You really think mummy's pretty?" She asked with blush coming through her cheeks.

Sara nodded, "You are the prettiest woman, mummy. I wish I looked as beautiful as you."

C.C looked straight into her daughter's light blue eyes before answering. "Darling, you're beautiful too. Can't you see that? Come here." She brought her over to the wall mirror, lowering herself down to Sara's level. "You have the smoothest skin, my Swedish features, your father's menacing, and yet strangely sweet eyes..." She looked at Sara's necklace, "Our nearly matching necklaces..." She placed a strand of Sara's blonde hair behind her ear, "To be honest, I wish I could be you."

Sara looked confusingly into the mirror, "Me?"

"Well, except the whole age thing, I would." She added lowly, "But other than that, oh! Would I kill to be you. You have parents that give a damn about you." She fought off a small tear or two before turning Sara to look at her. "I have something else for you, too."

Sara watched as C.C looked at her right hand, a mother-of-pearl oval with a diamond set in its middle. Mummy wore that constantly and she never saw her take it off. Surely she couldn't be - ?

"This ring was given to me by your Great Aunt Babcock when I stayed with her in the Hamptons. She was really the only one in my family that paid any attention to me, even if it was just telling me that I had egg on my blouse." She smiled fondly. "I noticed you were eying it the last time we were getting ready to go to the Tony's, and, well... I don't think I need it anymore..." C.C removed the ring from her middle finger and slipped it onto Sara's.

Sara eyed the ring with a smile, "But I thought this was..."

"The woman's dead now. I doubt she will have a problem with me giving her ring to someone else in the family that needs it more."

The girl eyed the ring one more time, "Its so beautiful." She looked up and threw her arms around her mother's waist, inhaling her Chanel perfume. "Thank you mummy!" C.C embraced her back with an ever growing smile, her fingernails running through her blonde bobbed hair. "Now, I don't want to hear you worrying about this anymore. Its a known fact that Babcock women tend to age gracefully, and you are no exception."

C.C gave Niles a stern look.

She looked down at her daughter, "Alright, go upstairs and change, darling." Sara began to walk up the stairs with Chester at her heels.

"Oh, and ne more thing," C.C went to the stairs "if you get changed done quick enough, I will show you some of my makeup tricks."

Sara nodded before giving Niles a hug, "Thank you, daddy." She then raced up the stairs with the jewelry cases in her hand.

Niles then took a hold of C.C's hand and brought her closer to him, their bodies flush against each other. "Since Babs is in such a good mood... do I get a "thank you from you, too?"

C.C gave off a seductive chuckle, her lips close to his, "Not after lying to me."

"I was making sure you didn't know about your present. You know, the element of surprise. The same way I react to waking up next to you every morning."

"Oh really? I thought it was fear."

"That, too." He grinned, "Fear that this is all a dream while I'm vacuuming Master Brighton's room."

"The only difference is that you do it for Miss Sara's room." C.C chuckled, "That reminds me, that lot of a family is coming up here next week, aren't they?"

"Hmm, yes. Its the last thing we need in the household. Especially with a fully stocked refrigerator."

"They'll be eating all of it like Hoovers. You'll just have to smuggle whatever you can down into the wine cellar."

"Yes, sir!" He saluted, "And should I do that before they get it or before you do?"

C.C smacked him. Niles resorted to their original topic, "Now, don't tell me this necklace wasn't worth the little white lie."

"Oh, alright." C.C answered exasperatingly, "I suppose I will let this pesty little vermin off just this once."

"I would rethink that last statement." He warned while narrowing his light blue eyes.

"What? The part about you being let off the hook?"

"No." He shook his head and brought her in closer, "Little."

He placed his his hand on her thigh while pressing his middle into her thigh, making her feel the effect she was having over him. Her lips formed into a small "o" before smiling mischievously. "I concur..."

With a smile, he leaned forward and took her lips with his own, drawing her closer as his hand made his way to her waist and her hands making their way on either side of his face, deepening the kiss. Their eyes were closed, moaning come forth from their throats, and their breathing heightened to new levels, all while a single branch of mistletoe hung from the chandelier above their heads.

_**FIN.**_


End file.
